NPS/Patrick Myers

1 minute video:
Sledding at Great Sand Dunes

Learn how to sled on sand in this short National Park Service video on YouTube. Produced in 2011.

NPS/Patrick Myers

Girl sandboarding off High Dune, 2011. Sandboarding, sledding, or skiing on sand can be enjoyable - but only with the right gear and conditions.

Sand sledding or sandboarding can be fun with the right gear and conditions. Below are tips for an enjoyable, safe, and appropriate sledding or sandboarding experience at Great Sand Dunes.

What Works and When to Go 

• Rigid, slick, flat-bottomed plastic sleds, sandboards, or snowboards are the only things that will safely slide on these dunes. Sliding on these is only possible for children or lighter-weight adults after recent precipitation. During dry times, the sand may get too soft for sliding to occur. Skis may slide on wet sand, but not as well as sleds, snowboards, or sandboards.
  
  
• Cardboard, rounded saucers, and soft plastic items don't work because they dig into or drag on the sand.
  
  
• Rectangles of rigid plastic or masonite may slide, but are not safe: there is no way to control or steer them, they may cause excessive speed, and their angled edges could cause injuries.
  
  
• Sandboards and sand sleds are specifically made for sand, featuring a special design and extra slick bases; these may slide on dry or wet sand.
  
  
• Plan your dunes time for early morning or evening during summer to avoid 140 degree F sand or thunderstorms.

NPS/Patrick Myers

A woman in historic dress skis the dune face near Castle Creek Picnic Area, 2009

Where to Go

Sandboarding, sledding, and skiing are permitted anywhere on the dunefield away from vegetated areas. From the main visitor parking area, it's a minimum 2/3 mile hike to get to the small or medium-sized slopes. With high clearance 4WD vehicle, visitors may drive on the Medano Pass Primitive Road to the Castle Creek Picnic Area; there, a 300' tall slope is right across from the parking area.

NPS/Patrick Myers

Rentals

Great Sand Dunes National Park does not rent sleds or sandboards; these may be rented or purchased at various retailers. In the San Luis Valley, sandboards and sand sleds are available for rent or purchase at Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa or 719-589-9759.